The Lotus Sutra is regarded as one of the world’s great religious scriptures and most influential texts. It’s a seminal work in the development of Buddhism throughout East Asia and, by extension, in the development of Mahayana Buddhism throughout the world. Taking place in a vast and fantastical cosmic setting, the Lotus Sutra places emphasis on skillfully doing whatever is needed to serve and compassionately care for others, on breaking down distinctions between the fully enlightened buddha and the bodhisattva who vows to postpone salvation until all beings may share it, and especially on each and every being’s innate capacity to become a buddha.

This illustrated edition features more than 110 full-page and two-page illustrations by a world-renowned and award-winning artist, and brings the fantastical and image-filled world of the Lotus Sutra vividly to life. Demi’s illustrations are both classical and contemporary in feel, perfectly complementing Reeves’s masterful and modern translation.

H. H. the Sakya Trizin: Preservation of the Dharma and the Sakya Tradition

Posted July 26, 2019

For this very special episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken speaks with His Holiness the Sakya Trizin, the 42nd throne holder of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. In this fascinating conversation, you’ll hear His Holiness talk about his childhood growing up in the prestigious Khön family of Tibet. It was the Khön family who originally founded the Sakya order in the 11th and 12th centuries. His Holiness talks about what it was like growing up as the eventual successor to his father as throne holder and how this impacted his years of study in the monastery. His Holiness also talks about his responsibility in the preservation of the Dharma and ways this is connected to the preservation of the Sakya teaching lineage itself.

About the Interviewee

His Holiness the 42nd Kyabgon Gongma Trizin, Ratna Vajra Rinpoche, is the eldest son of His Holiness Sakya Trichen (the 41st Sakya Trizin). He is considered one of the most highly qualified lineage masters of Tibetan Buddhism. Renowned for his erudition and the clarity of his teachings, His Holiness the 42nd Sakya Trizin is a member of the prestigious Khön family, whose successive generations have provided an unbroken lineage of outstanding masters.

On March 9, 2017, His Holiness accepted the mantle of leadership from his esteemed father and root guru, in his new capacity as the 42nd Sakya Trizin or throne holder of the lineage. In doing so, he will continue to guide and inspire Dharma students from all over the world with his wisdom, genuine qualities of unaffected simplicity, humility and complete honesty, by presenting the Buddha’s teachings in the most authentic way, while maintaining the purest of Buddhist traditions.

Biography courtesy of the official website of His Holiness the 42nd Sakya Trizin

Photograph courtesy of Jamyang Zangpo

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Cyrus Stearns: Translating for the Great Sakya Masters

The Brilliantly Illuminating Lamp of the Five Stages (rim lnga rab tu gsal ba’i sgron me) is Tsong Khapa’s master commentary on the perfection-stage practices of the Esoteric Community (Guhyasamāja), the tantra he considered fundamental for the “father tantra” class of unexcelled yoga tantras, as the primary source for the development of the “magic body” technique for attaining buddhahood. Based on Nāgārjuna’s Five Stages (Pañcakrama) and Āryadeva’s Lamp That Integrates the Practices (Caryāmelāpakapradīpa), as well as a vast range of other works by Indian and Tibetan scholars and adepts, it also reveals openly the experiences of the author, himself a master practitioner.

This blockbuster work of Jey Tsong Khapa opens a window on one of the most amazing, incredibly advanced attainments ever claimed to be possible for a human being within a single lifetime. The author explains in detail the relation between exoteric and esoteric teachings and practices on the path to complete enlightenment, with its seemingly superhuman awarenesses and abilities. He clarifies the interconnections between the various categories of secret tantras, inspires by showing how far-reaching are the systematic methods of positive personal transformation developed and taught in India and Tibet, and openly shows what this tradition considered possible, giving us a whole new vision of life’s meaning and a strengthened confidence in our horizon of opportunities. This bold and well-reasoned work presents a fascinating new way to understand our own body and mind, to manage more confidently our own life and death trajectories, and to rejoice in the sense of the extreme value of our human lifetime as a platform for realizing our personal evolutionary potential.

Barry Magid: Psychologically Minded Zen

Posted July 5, 2019

For this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken speaks with Dr. Barry Magid, psychoanalyst, meditation teacher, and author of Nothing Is Hidden: The Psychology of Zen Koans. Since the 1970s, Barry has dedicated his life’s work to the integration of Western psychoanalytic psychology and Zen Buddhism.

In this fascinating conversation, Barry describes his initial encounters with Buddhist ideas and how he came to agree with some while pushing back on others. He explains how his psychoanalytic practice has allowed him to articulate his take on the project of Buddhism by making the case for “wholeness,” or acceptance of a person’s mental states as they are in any given moment, rather than “wholesomeness,” or an attempt to dispel negative emotions and “purify” the mind. Building on this distinction, Barry explains the framework of what he calls “top down” versus “bottom up” approaches to practice, and the difference between searching for singular peak experiences in meditation versus engaging in moment-to-moment vulnerability with oneself at all times, both on and off the mat.

Barry offers illuminating insights on the pitfalls of viewing zazen as a “technique” versus zazen as a religious practice, or in other words, meditation beyond the framework of means-to-end thinking. As Buddhism becomes further enmeshed within Western culture, he advocates for zazen to remain a “useless” practice to counter recent emphasis on the goal-oriented techniques of mindfulness. Furthermore, Barry points out that our worst experiences in meditation can actually become the most beneficial and that it is possible to discover the absolute in the most mundane aspects of ordinary life.

For more thoughts from Dr. Barry Magid on psychology and Zen Buddhism, be sure to check out this books, including Nothing is Hidden: The Psychology Zen Koans, Ending the Pursuit of Happiness: A Zen Guide, and Ordinary Mind: Exploring the Common Ground of Zen and Psychology. You can also view his lecture series through the Wisdom Experience.

About the Interviewee

Barry Magid is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst practicing in New York City, and the founding teacher of the Ordinary Mind Zendo, also in New York. He is the author of the Wisdom titles Ordinary Mind, Ending the Pursuit of Happiness, and Nothing Is Hidden.

Above image courtesy of Tim Dose

John Dunne: Dharmakīrti, Perception, and Cognitive Science

Posted June 13, 2019

For this episode of the Wisdom Podcast, host Daniel Aitken speaks with John Dunne, Distinguished Professor of Contemplative Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and author of Foundations of Dharmakīrti’s Philosophy, published by Wisdom. John’s research focuses on Buddhist philosophy in relationship to contemplative practice, religious studies, and cognitive science. In this rich conversation, John covers a wide array of fascinating topics. He talks about the innate need for physiological connection with other human beings and its relationship to both fear and anxiety within both Buddhist and cognitive science perspectives. He then delves deeply into the world of Dharmakīrti’s philosophy of perception, comparing Dharmakīrti’s views with that of other Indian Buddhist philosophers as well as Tibetan Mahāmudrā. John weaves all this together within an intriguing account of his own life story. He talks about his spiritual quest for his so-called “true identity” as a young person, his multiple paths through college including his time at Harvard University, and the great impact of his teachers such as Robert Thurman and Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche.

About the Interviewee

John D. Dunne serves on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he holds the Distinguished Chair in Contemplative Humanities at the Center for Healthy Minds. He is also chair of the Department of Asian Languages & Cultures. His work focuses on Buddhist philosophy and contemplative practice, especially in dialog with Cognitive Science and Psychology. His more than fifty publications appear in venues ranging across both the Humanities and the Sciences, including Foundations of Dharmakīrti’s Philosophy (2004) and Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics: The Mind (2020). John Dunne speaks in both academic and public contexts, and he occasionally teaches for Buddhist communities. His broader engagements include being a Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute, where he was previously a member of the board of directors, and serving as an academic advisor to the Rangjung Yeshe Institute in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Photograph and bio courtesy of John Dunne.

The Illustrated Lotus Sutra

H. H. the Sakya Trizin: Preservation of the Dharma and the Sakya Tradition

About the Interviewee

Tales from the Tibetan Operas

Brilliantly Illuminating Lamp of the Five Stages

Bearing the Unbearable

Varieties of Buddhist Meditation

Varieties of Buddhist Meditation

Barry Magid: Psychologically Minded Zen

About the Interviewee

Join Wisdom

John Dunne: Dharmakīrti, Perception, and Cognitive Science

About the Interviewee

The Dalai Lama Reflects on Faith in Buddhism and Christianity

Illumination of the Hidden Meaning, Vol. 2

Illumination of the Hidden Meaning, Vol. 1

Manjushri’s Innermost Secret

Robert Thurman on Cultivating Our Inner Manjushri

Entangling Vines (Paperback)

Always Remembering

The Essence of Tsongkhapa’s Teachings

Tibetan Art Calendar 2020

Nonduality